Welcome back Fighting Scots' fans! I'm sorry that I missed writing last week's edition. We've got quite a bit to talk about, so let's get right to it.
 
The last time we spoke, we were heading into a week with two road games at Johnson & Wales University and Suffolk University. JWU came into the game with a poor record, but they still have some very talented players. Fortunately, in the first half we shot the ball very well, because our defense was not good. We went into the locker room with a 48–40 lead. In the second half, we played much stronger defense, and we were able to pull away to an 86–64 victory. Senior Isaac Jarvis had a career-high with 24 points, and also led us with 10 rebounds. Freshman Chiko Kalu had another very good game off the bench scoring 15 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Senior Bruce McGuire also had a strong effort scoring 10 points on 3–3 shooting from the field, and 4–4 shooting from the free-throw line. As I have said many times, a conference road victory is always a good thing.
 
A week ago, Saturday, we headed into Boston to take on Suffolk University. Suffolk is one of the top teams in the conference, and one of the best defensive teams in all of New England. Unfortunately, for the Scots, we didn't handle their pressure defense very well, and we got run out of the gym 79–51. Junior Ryan Brooks was one of the only bright spots for us leading us in in scoring with 13, rebounds with nine, and assists with three.
 
This past Wednesday we had a home game against Roger Williams University. Contrary to Suffolk, RWU has one of the best offenses in the region. In the first half, we did a very good job defensively and led by as many as seven points, before entering the locker room with a 39–36 lead. In the second half, we seemed to lose our intensity on the defensive end, and gave up 51 points on 54% shooting. Although we certainly scored enough points to win the game, we came out on the bottom side of an 87–77 ball game. Our inside game was very strong with Isaac, Ryan, and Bruce combining for 37 points on 17–20 shooting from the field. Ryan also had a career high 17 rebounds.
 
This week, we again have two very contrasting styles of play, beginning with a home game tomorrow against the up-tempo University of New England. UNE handled us pretty easily in our first game, winning 87–67. The Nor'easters average nearly 80 points per game and are led by seniors Adam Lux, Jayden Thornton, and Adrian Torres. These three are very talented, and are capable of scoring 30 on any given night. Defense will have to be our focus, and getting good shots on the offensive end is a must. They are a very tough team to match up with, but having Bruce McGuire back in the lineup, he will be able to match up better defensively with Lux, who is a very versatile scorer.
 
On Saturday, we make the long trip to Springfield to take on Western New England University. WNE is again near the top of the conference, coming in at second place with a 7-2 record in league action. They throttled us in our first game after the Christmas break on our home court, and we will look to gain a little respect back from them this time around. Historically, we have not played well at WNE, but last year we gave them a run for their money. I hope we get dialed in and play focused basketball on both ends of the court.
 
This week we also have the "Clash of the Tartans" on Thursday night. It is the annual fundraiser for Gordon Athletics, and it's an opportunity for each team to raise money for their programs. I hope that you will all support your favorite Gordon teams with your prayers, and if God is leading you, with your financial support.
 
Thank you for taking the time to read this week's Coach's Corner, and I hope you will come out and cheer the Fighting Scots Men's Basketball team to victory tomorrow night.
 
God Bless,
    Coach Murphy
 
"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." - 2 Corinthians 2:9